This is not surprising that a gun manufacture who profits from selling weapons of war would fight a ban on assault style weapons in Massachusetts. Read the excellent description by the MA Attorney General as to why the ban is important and then sign the petition to support this crucial ban - http://goo.gl/Wje5HH.

“Gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson has donated $500,000 to the US’s largest gun industry trade body to help its fightback against the Massachusetts attorney general’s ban on the sale of assault rifles to civilians.

“Maura Healey, the Massachuetts attorney general, last month moved to close a loophole that allowed the sale of assault rifles, which are illegal under the state’s assault weapons ban, after the firearms manufacturers had been given what Healey regards as ‘small tweaks’.

“Healey said that following the horrific atrocity in Orlando, in which 49 people were killed and 53 injured at the hands of an attacker using an AR15-style rifle and a handgun, the state would no longer let gun manufacturers ‘exploit our laws’.

“‘The gun industry has found a way to exploit our laws, a loophole of potentially horrific proportions. And it’s time we act,’ she explained in an impassioned editorial in the Boston Globe. ‘It’s no surprise the Orlando killer chose an AR-15 style assault rifle. It’s a weapon of war, originally created for combat, and designed to kill many people in a short amount of time with incredible accuracy. It’s in the same category as weapons chosen by killers in Newtown, Aurora, and San Bernardino. These are not weapons of self-defense. They are weapons used to commit mass murder. And they have no business being in civilian hands.’”

“Texas' new law allowing concealed handguns in college classrooms, buildings and dorms has barely started and already faces a legal challenge seeking to block it before students return for the fall semester.

“The new law makes Texas one of eight states with laws that allow weapons on campus and inside buildings, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Another 23 let their campuses or governing boards decide.”

Let’s ensure that NC does not become the 9th state that allows guns on campus. Join us as we prepare to fight such a bill– ncgv@ncgv.org

“As an Army veteran who swore an oath to protect our Constitution, I know law-abiding Americans everywhere have a right to own guns for self-protection. But I also know the gun lobby's growing perversion of that right into the need to carry guns everywhere in public makes it harder for our law enforcement officers to do safely their dangerous job -- and it needlessly puts American lives at risk.

“The real good guys are the law enforcement officers who ran toward the gunfire and toward the danger in Dallas, in Baton Rouge, and during so many other tragedies. We can honor them by having more responsible gun laws that protect them, not put them at risk.”

A mere two weeks after the police killings of Alton Sterling and Philandro Castile shocked the American public, and less than a week after the memorial service for five police officers slain by a sniper in Dallas, Baton Rouge is mourning the deaths of three officers at the hands of a lone civilian gunman. Early in the morning on July 17th, officers responded to reports of an armed man at a shopping center. The man opened fire, killing three officers and wounding three more before he was killed.

North Carolinians Against Gun Violence condemns this latest shooting in the strongest terms possible. While the motivations of the gunman are still unknown, one thing is clear: this unspeakable violence is fueled by a culture in which guns are easy to obtain and the taking of human life has become a normalized solution to conflict. We stand with the family members and colleagues of the slain officers, and with those who were wounded and survived.

In his remarks about the shooting, President Barack Obama reminded the American people that we must not allow ourselves to be divided by the cycle of violence: “five days ago, I traveled to Dallas for the memorial service of the officers who were slain there. I said that that killer would not be the last person who tries to make us turn on each other. Nor will today’s killer. It remains up to us to make sure that they fail. That decision is all of ours. The decision to make sure that our best selves are reflected across America, not our worst -- that’s up to us.”

In 2012, the Veterans Affairs Department estimated that 22 veterans die each day due to suicide. While some groups questioned the accuracy of the number, especially because four states were not included in the calculations, it is a fact that there is a high rate of suicide among veterans. So much so, in fact, that the VA is bringing in mental health experts, advocates, and affected families to create an action plan to reduce suicide among veterans. While the VA works on its plan, there are some steps families and loved ones of veterans can take now to help prevent suicide among veterans.

Americans have been in horror and shock as images of police killing two black men went viral on social media, and later when a sniper opened fire during a peaceful Black Lives Matter rally in Dallas, killing five police officers and leaving seven more officers and two civilians wounded. Now another lone gunman has claimed the lives of three more officers in Baton Rouge.

We at North Carolinians Against Gun Violence decry the cycle of gun violence in America. The police killings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile outside St. Paul are abhorrent examples of the routinized use of violent, deadly force with guns as a first rather than last resort. The Dallas sniper shootings and the Baton Rouge police killings make plain what sort of tragedies are possible when easy access to deadly weapons combines with fury and hatred.

We value law enforcement as allies in working to keep communities safe. Law enforcement officers are understandably concerned about the number of guns on our streets and their increased firepower. The escalation of the civilian arms race—with more and more people carrying more and more high-powered guns—is indeed alarming and dangerous, but that can never be an excuse to violate the rights of the civilians they are vowed to protect or to justify disproportionate force.

We mourn with the families, friends and colleagues of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, the officers gunned down in Dallas and now, Baton Rouge. We pledge to them that our determination to end the daily gun slaughter on our streets is only strengthened. Let us resolve that these horrific losses of life will not be in vain, but will inspire us to come together and end the arms race that is disproportionately killing Black Americans and turning peaceful protests, nightclubs, churches and schools into sites of tragedy.

Once again--this time during a peaceful Black Lives Matter rally in Dallas--we witness the appalling toll of gun violence. When easy access to deadly weapons combines with hate and fear, tragedies occur.

With the rest of the nation, we mourn the loss of five police officers gunned down in the line of duty and the senseless shooting of seven more officers and two civilians whose lives will he forever altered. Our hearts go out to their families, friends and colleagues, and we pledge to them that our resolve to end the daily gun slaughter on our streets is only strengthened.

Gun violence, which claims more than 30 Americans each day in homicides, is impacting an ever higher number of our nation’s law enforcement officers each year, yet certain members of Congress fail to act - leaving sensible bills unaddressed.

Let us resolve that the loss of these brave officers will not be in vain, but will inspire us to come together and end the arms race that is turning peaceful marches, nightclubs, churches and schools into killing fields.

We as a gun violence prevention organization decry the cycle of gun violence in America, with African American communities too often bearing the brunt. The police shooting of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge – followed by the shooting of Philando Castile outside St. Paul – are abhorrent examples of the routinized use of violent, deadly force with guns as a first rather than last resort.

It is important to note that we value law enforcement as allies in working to keep communities safe. They are understandably concerned about the number of guns on our streets and their increased firepower. The escalation of the civilian arms race—with more and more people carrying more and more high-powered guns—is indeed alarming and dangerous, but that can never be an excuse to violate the rights of the civilians they are vowed to protect or to justify disproportionate force.

The arms race on our streets is making our communities more dangerous – not safer – and it is past time to end political posturing and come together to discuss and rationally address all forms of gun violence and its many causes.

On Monday, June 20, North Carolina’s two senators cast votes to help kill two amendments to reduce the dangers of gun violence. Both Richard Burr and Thom Tillis voted against universal background checks for gun purchases and a measure to strictly limit guns sales to known terrorists.

“These were votes to keep the unacceptable status quo of gun laws,” said Becky Ceartas, director of North Carolinians Against Gun Violence [NCGV]. “It’s shocking that these harmful votes were cast in the wake of the worst mass shooting of our history in Orlando and, adding to the outrage, they came almost one year to the day since of the killings in the Charleston church.”

“In casting these votes, our senators showed their true colors. They chose not to put safety of our families first, pushing that aside to demonstrate their loyalty to the gun lobby,” Ceartas said. She pointed out that the National Rifle Association has given Sen. Thom Tillis $4,418,012 and contributed $805,219 to Sen. Richard Burr.

“Action must be taken. It’s now up to Speaker Paul Ryan and the U.S. House of Representatives to vote on similar amendments for background checks and bans on terrorists seeking to buy guns.”

The House is scheduled to take a Fourth of July break at the end of this week. Ceartas called for Rep. Ryan “to do the right thing and have the House vote on these life-saving measures. The representatives want to go home and see families and work their districts over the Fourth, but now of all times, votes on these life-or-death measures must be a first priority.”

Four proposed gun measures were voted down Monday along party lines for the most part. Sen. Christopher Murphy offered the proposal on background checks, and Sen. Diane Feinstein sponsored the amendment curtailing gun sales to known terrorists. The other two amendments were one by Sen. Charles Grassley to allow certain psychiatric patients to buy guns on the day they are released from mental institutions; it also would allow military veterans suffering from mental illnesses to buy guns. And Sen. Jon Cornyn’s proposal was to allow a suspected terrorist to buy guns unless the U.S. Attorney General could prove in court that the person had committed, or was about to commit, an act of terrorism. In addition, the gun applicant would have had the right to contest the evidence against him in court. The amendment would have required these things to be done within five business days.

Senators Burr and Tillis voted for the Grassley and Cornyn amendments. “Their votes,” said Ceartas, “were a sad attempt to try and fool the American public into believing they were doing something about gun violence. They weren’t. They acted in bad faith and we will not let this stand.”